Qualcomm and Google promise that you don’t need to buy a new phone every couple years
By ForGeeks This week, Qualcomm announced that it will team up with Google to provide an 8-year update to new and upcoming Android devices with a new Snapdragon 8 series chipset or Snapdragon 7 series chips coming later this year.
In a press release, the company said this will apply to devices running on the Snapdragon 8 Elite mobile platform. That means phones like the OnePlus 13, Samsung Galaxy S25, Xiaomi 15, Honor Magic 7 Pro and Asus ROG Phone 9 are among the devices that could potentially receive up to eight years of consecutive Android software and security updates.
Snapdragon 7 Elite is among the devices that could potentially receive up to eight years of consistent Android software and security updates.
In essence, this means the company is promising to provide not only Android system updates, but also basic “kernel” (core software) updates, apparently making it cheaper for manufacturers to provide these annual updates.
“Through this partnership, OEMs can more seamlessly update the software and security on their devices, providing a safer and longer Android experience for our users,” said Seng Chau, vice president and general manager of the Android platform.
It’s said that Qualcomm is offering device makers, such as those mentioned above, the ability to provide Android software and security updates. Google has already done this since the Pixel 8 series, offering 7 years of updates with its new Tensor chipsets, and Samsung offers the same promise of software updates with its latest phones, including the Galaxy S25 series. Now it looks like Google is trying to offer the same level of support for other phones on the market.
And now it looks like Google is trying to offer the same level of support for other phones on the market.
“We’re raising the bar by providing more flexibility for our OEMs and ultimately improving the user experience,” said Chris Patrick, Qualcomm’s senior vice president and general manager of cell phones.
“We’re raising the bar by providing more flexibility for our OEMs and ultimately improving the user experience,” said Chris Patrick, Qualcomm’s senior vice president and general manager of cell phones.
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The collaboration comes with a reprieve, as customers will potentially be able to use their devices longer instead of upgrading to new phones every couple years. That’s especially good for phones with 7-series chips coming later this year, which means cheaper devices could also get the extended support usually reserved for premium phones.
And that means cheaper devices could also get the extended support usually reserved for premium phones.
It’s a shame, though, that older phones that don’t have the latest chipsets won’t get any of these benefits, meaning users may have to upgrade to the latest generation of phones soon.
It’s also a shame that older phones that don’t have the latest chipsets won’t get any of these benefits, meaning users may have to upgrade to the latest generation of phones soon.
“Legacy platforms cannot take advantage of extended support. Qualcomm Technologies will continue to work with OEMs on their software support needs for legacy platforms across all of our product lines,” the spokesperson added.
The story Qualcomm and Google promise you don’t need to buy a new phone every couple years was first published on ITZine.ru.
